February 2011 Newsletter

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Welcome to the Photo to Movie Newsletter

February 2011

Welcome to the February 2011 edition of the Photo to Movie newsletter!

In this newsletter:

  • Photo to Movie 4.7.3
  • Want More Transitions? Special offer $9.95.
  • Telling a Story With Photo to Movie
  • Recover Your License Key Online
  • Special Deals Mailing List
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Notices

Lost Your License Key?

Recover Lost License Keys

You should purchase Photo to Movie now by clicking here:

Buy Photo to Movie

Photo to Movie 4.7.3

This month we released Photo to Movie 4.7.3. Although it is only a minor update, we recommend that all users upgrade to this new version.

Improvements/fixes:

  • Fixed numerous minor rendering issues with transitions (gradient wipe)
  • Fixed problem sending movie to iDVD (Mac OS only)
  • Fixed some minor UI issues (setting background color in text editor)
  • Fixed background issue for full screen preview
  • Improved performance of large image libraries in media browser
  • Added shortcut keys to key frame zoom (now connect PowerMates!)

If you're using Photo to Movie 4.5 or later

The easiest way to upgrade if you're using Photo to Movie 4.5 or later is to use the menu item Check for Updates... available under the Photo to Movie menu on Mac OS and under the Help menu on Windows.

You can also download the new version here:

Photo to Movie 4.7 Download

If you're using Photo to Movie 4.2, 3.5, or earlier

If you're using an older version of Photo to Movie, you will need to purchase an upgraded license key to get the improvements in Photo to Movie 4.7.

You can download the new version here:

Photo to Movie 4.7 Download

Here are some of the new features since Photo to Movie 4.2 (Mac) and Photo to Movie 3.5 (Windows):

  • YouTube Upload. Added YouTube panel to Make Movie dialog.
  • Video Clips. Support for adding video clips to the timeline (Mac OS only).
  • iDVD Integration. Added iDVD panel to Make Movie dialog (Mac OS only).
  • Graphic Objects. Added ability to add graphics similar to how titles are added.
  • Title Linking. Added ability to link titles and graphic objects to specific photos.
  • Photo Labels. Added ability to automatically label all photos with name, date, time, etc.
  • Title Editing. Added ability to change font and color of multiple titles at once.
  • Title Alignment. Added ability to align multiple titles or graphic objects to each other.
  • Title Backgrounds. Added a panel for setting title backgrounds.

And remember that any purchase or upgrade includes free upgrades for at least a year (including Photo to Movie 5, when it is released later this spring).

You can upgrade here:

Photo to Movie Upgrade

All purchases have a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee.

Want More Transitions?

Extended Transitions for only $9.95

Offer Expires March 15.

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Do you use a lot of transitions in your slideshows? If so, you can find even more transitions in the extended transition plug-in available on our website.

The extended transitions include great transitions like falling tiles, shutter, and color panes. OVER TWENTY ADDITIONAL TRANSITIONS!

For a limited time we're offering the extended transitions plug-in for $9.95 on our website. To take advantage of this offer (good until March 15), click the link below (or use the offer code NL2011TR on our website):

Extended Transitions $9.95 SPECIAL OFFER

The extended transitions are available on Mac OS AND Windows. More information can be found here:

Photo to Movie Transitions Sampler

All purchases have a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee.

Telling a Story with Your Slideshow

Here are some tips and techniques for telling a good story with your slideshow.

Narrative/Plot

Choose a narrative to build your show around. This can be, and often is, solely according to linear time, but there are other ways to do it. If you have multiple subjects, tell each persons story in order, or follow one person into a big event, and another person away from it. Remember, the story is what actually happened, the plot is the way in which you choose to tell that story.

Music and Sound

Use music to establish the proper mood, something that's appropriate to the themes of the events. For a slideshow that covers a whole year, Vivaldi's Four Seasons is a composition that is evocative of the different quarters of the year, iconic and timeless. Or for graduations, remember Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.

Don't forget, too, that the sound function can be used for things other than music. As long as you have a microphone, and recording software, you can add narration. You can also find other sound effects on the web to spice up your slideshow.

Effective Effects

Don't overuse the effects. Think of each picture as a story. Identify the key elements in that picture, and find the best way to reveal them--the best way, in other words, to tell that story. Picking the right effect, and the right transition between photos, will help you tell that story in the best way, just as overusing the effects can distract from your message.

Pacing

Pacing is essential. People typically only need about 5 seconds to take in a photo, so 12 pictures per minute of show is Photo to Movie's oft-expressed rule of thumb. But playing with that can be a fun way of building excitement. For earlier, or less important events, a slightly slower pace makes it feel like the beginning of the journey. As the action heats up, make it faster and faster. A big finish might be a really quick review, at 2 or 3 photos per second, of all the pictures you've used in that part of your slideshow.

Recover Your Lost License Key Online

Have you lost your Photo to Movie license key? We can send you your latest license key to the email under which you original purchased or registered.

To retrieve your Photo to Movie (or Motion Pictures) license keys, visit our website and enter your email address:

Recover Lost License Keys

We also offer other support for using Photo to Movie on our newly redesigned Training and Support web page:

Photo to Movie Training and Support

Special Deals Mailing List

Due to numerous requests, LQ Graphics now has a special mailing list for special deals, offers, and discounts on LQ Graphics products and 3rd party products.

This is a great way to SAVE MONEY on software. We're negotiating with several other companies to offer special DISCOUNTS to our customers on their products. We expect the first special offer to be available in early December -- SIGN UP NOW.

This special deals mailing list is opt-in only. You must click on the link below and check the appropriate box to be included.

Sign Up for Discounts

Newsletter Archive

All of our previous newsletters are available on our website. Check them out for tips, news, and information items.

Browse through the Photo to Movie newsletter archive

Notices

To unsubscribe from this list click here.

LQ Graphics, Inc., 7172 Regional Street #297, Dublin, CA 94568

Copyright 2011. LQ Graphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.